2001
THE FIRST STEP IN STOPPING THE
INSTITUTIONAL DISCRIMINATION
THE DECISION OF FATE
2001
Zëri on page one carried a column by Mufail Limani on Albanian "rigidity."
Kosovo must be cheerful on New Year's Eve. Apart from others, the cheerfulness is a demonstration of the Albanians' rigidity. Nothing can dare make us lose our self-respect, dignity and together with this, lose the attributes which belong to people who are free or who make efforts for freedom. We might not be the best, however we are not the worst- just look at the neighbors, not only at the Serbs…
We know they have given us one million reasons to isolate ourselves in our personal and collective terror and tragedies. However, the entire history of the Balkans refers to the Albanian will as tough as the devil's. No one can remain there forever. He cannot have peace there.
Kosovo inherited all the problems of last year: the missing and the prisoners in Serbia, the issue of Mitrovica, Presevo valley, the impatience and political violence. There is a great deal of work in building a home: if Kosovo is home for all those who live here, then all the problems will turn into a kind of sport.
There must be light coming from the windows of our homes. There must be happiness in our homes tonight. All those who cannot be happy tonight must have a place in our happiness. There must be place in their sadness for all the children who have the right to enjoy what has been won with blood and war. The two millennia have had something to say to the third one regarding the Albanians. Those who do not know will find out… Happy New Year.
THE FIRST STEP IN STOPPING THE INSTITUTIONAL DISCRIMINATION
Koha Ditore on page three carried a report on the Albanian representatives of Presevo valley, who managed to achieve a political agreement with Serb authorities regarding the withdrawal of two roadblocks on the Bujanovac-Ternoc road. The agreement was achieved with KFOR mediating. It allows Serb local traffic police to patrol along Bujanovac-Ternoc road, however only 200 meters away from Ternoc.
Neither party signed the agreement, as the Serbs do not recognize UÇPMB as an interlocutor. But they agreed that KFOR would be guarantor of the agreement.
The political advisor of the KFOR Commander, Shawn Sullivan, mediated this agreement and made possible its achievements. The Serb side was represented by the vice president of the Serb government and president of the Coordinating Council for Presevo valley Nebojsa Covic. Whereas the Albanian side was represented by the local political entities and UÇPMB representatives.
The traffic police will now be where the Serb Special Police checkpoint used to be. Representatives of both parties vowed they would not use violence in the future.
"The agreement is an important step toward solving the problems in a peaceful way. This agreement is very important, because it will influence lowering the tensions in the valley. It is also important in the efforts to find a solution for the region's problem", stated Riza Halimi president of Presevo and chairman of the Democratic Party, adding "I believe that steps such as these will lead us toward the realizations of our general intentions".
"You should be proud of your political and military leaders because tonight they have managed to obtain concessions out of the Serb government", stated COMKFOR Political Advisor Shawn Sullivan to the crowd gathered in front of the building where the talks were being held. "They have managed to make the Serb authorities promise that the institutional discrimination policy toward the Albanians will end. They also managed to oblige Serbia for a peaceful solution to the problem of Presevo valley. Today's agreement is an important step in this direction".
"KFOR is the guarantor of this agreement and it will chase step by step each person who does not respect it", stated Sullivan in the press center in Bujanovac.
The Albanian party withdrew their checkpoint in the entrance of Ternoc, with the order of UÇPMB General Commander Sefket Musliu. According to the Belgrade agency Beta, the Serb police followed this example after realizing the Albanian side fulfilled their part. The agency also reported that a Serb convoy from Strpce traveled without problems from southern Serbia to Strpce.
THE DECISION OF FATE
Zëri on page one and three carried a column hopes for Kosovo's final status.
In Kosovo and in the region many analyses of political developments have been made during the year. The changes have been great, however the final ones are to occur in 2001. It seems as though the war finally belongs to Kosovo's past, however, the new peace is still unknown. Nevertheless, it is known that it cannot be identical to the former one, before the war in FRY and Kosovo.
The war of 1998 and 1999 once and for all ruined the order created with violence and war in Kosovo. The political and historical processes cannot flow in the direction of the past; returning Kosovo under the Serb occupation. Kosovo's occupation by means of war at the beginning of the century cannot be exchanged with an occupation in peace at the end of the century. The Balkans' long-lasting stability demands solving the Kosovo issue in agreement with the will of the population of Kosovo.
A year ago we had a scheme, a dynamic, Kosovar, regional and international framework, which is not functioning anymore. The dominant scheme was based on the well-known guilt of Milosevic's regime in Belgrade. This guilt was built upon the crimes committed in Kosovo and the refusal of this regime to accept the international proposal in Rambouillet. The dynamic of solving Kosovo's issue is delineated in UN Resolution 1244.
According to this Resolution, it would take years for Kosovar society to pass from the transition period into a democratic society. Afterwards only with "time" for Kosovo and the desired changes in Serbia, a process of finding Kosovo's final status can be initiated. This does not rule out any option, including full independence.
The regional framework was the Stability Pact prepared by the EU and NATO's security umbrella; this framework refers to the US political and military role and EU's financial and economical leadership. In this context, solving the Kosovo issue and long-lasting stability of the region was seen as the West's long-term objective.
A year later in Kosovo and in the region, an almost complete turnaround is evident. The crimes committed in Kosovo and elsewhere in the region, with roots in Belgrade, have little or no political connotation. These crimes are now a primary occupation of The Hague, however they are no long a political factor, which should be taken into consideration as far as the political future of Kosovo is concerned. Therefore, Belgrade's position in this aspect is much better than a year ago.
In contradiction to the statements by Western politicians that there is no great change here, it is evident that from now on we will be facing rapid developments in Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro.
It is doubtful that an agreement in 2001 on Kosovo's final status will be achieved. Likewise the political and judicial framework, inside which the "decision" of Kosovo's fate is awaited, will not be clear. After all, as far as the regional and international framework is concerned, if during this year a unique Western approach for the region can be concluded, differences between the Western states will become more and more obvious.
The coordination between Washington and Brussels was fortunate for Kosovo, and for Bosnia, just as well. Other varieties are only foretellings of new disasters here and in the region.